Caged Hens

Help the RSPCA get hens out of cages

Think before you coose your eggs at the supermarket

The saying 'battery cages' is a fitting term to describe the horrific environment to which10.5 millionchickens in Australia are confined. These hens are kept in tiny cages, with each birdgiven space about the same size as an A4 piece of paper. Battery hens are unable to demonstrate natural behaviours, and are subjected to poor living conditions; they are unable to nest, preen their feathers, stretch or flap their wings, roost, perch and dust bathe. This restricted movement leads to muscle and skeletal weakness, diseases and psychological problems.

These chickens are confined to these quasi-jail cells for their entire productive life. And sadly these confines are legal.

Help the RSPCA end the unnecessary practice of battery hens. Next time you visit a supermarket, stop and think before you purchase eggs. There are alternatives to eggs laid by battery hens. Free range and barn laid systems allow hens the freedom to roam at their own leisure and provide a suitable environment for laying eggs.

By choosing RSPCA accredited barn laid eggs, you will be helping to free millions of chickens stuck in battery cages across Australia. The RSPCA has inspected these farms and can assure the public these eggs have all been laid by chickens housed in suitable and friendly conditions. Royalties from the sale of RSPCA accredited eggs go towards funding the development of certification standards, ongoing campaigns to improve the welfare of farm animals and funding for Inspectors to carry out regular inspections of the accredited properties.

The RSPCA urges you to voice your concerns about the appalling conditions of battery hens.

The greater the public outcry about battery hens, the sooner we will put astop to this unacceptable practice.